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 On the other side, Qi Dong and Zhao Ying re-entered a dim room after completing their tasks.

"What puzzle did you just solve?" Qi Dong asked, noticing Zhao Ying's calm demeanor.

"A logic puzzle," she replied.

They began to survey the room's features.

The walls were lined with ancient books and mysterious symbols, and the door silently closed behind them.

The room was large, or rather, it was two rooms combined.

In the center stood an old table with an ancient map on it, marked with various symbols, beside which was a chair holding a half-moon object.

The rest of the room was engulfed in darkness.

Only at the far end could they see a faint light illuminating a long row of bookshelves that occupied the entire wall.

"Maybe the answer lies within these symbols," Zhao Ying said, stepping forward to examine the map.

Just then, a dusty speaker overhead crackled to life.

"Please choose one partner to sit in the chair while the other completes the task."

"Note! If the task is completed, you will pass; failure means neither will receive an entry ticket."

Faint lights flickered on the walls, illuminating the various symbols on the map.

They exchanged glances.

"I'll solve the puzzle; you just sit tight! We can definitely get out!" Qi Dong pointed to the empty chair.

But Zhao Ying wasn’t easily swayed; she was naturally competitive and didn’t want to sit idly in this situation.

"But—"

"Trust me, these puzzles usually follow patterns, and they aren't too difficult. Besides, if I get stuck, I can bring it to you, and we can discuss it together."

Zhao Ying glanced at the symbols on the map, and considering Qi Dong was from the computer science department, she nodded and sat down.

"Just be careful."

Perhaps the atmosphere affected her, as Zhao Ying rarely softened her tone. This motivated Qi Dong even more.

"It's just a game."

The countdown timer on the wall had begun, and Qi Dong didn’t want to waste any time. He took the map and moved to the far end of the room.

As soon as Zhao Ying sat down, her hand automatically connected with a mechanism on the table. She took a quick glance, realizing it resembled a lie detector.

"What’s happening?" Qi Dong called back.

"Nothing."

Zhao Ying didn’t let him know that there would be penalties.

Hearing this, Qi Dong returned his focus to the map.

His fingers lightly brushed over the pages, feeling the texture of each ancient character. His eyes moved swiftly between the words, as if he could see hidden clues within. He tapped the edges of the pages, his lips moving as if silently memorizing something.

Fortunately, the puzzle wasn’t too difficult. Qi Dong quickly found a melted candle, a sleeping cat, and a blooming rose.

He inserted the small candle into the melted candle symbol, the toy cat into the sleeping cat symbol, and finally, the paper rose into the blooming rose symbol.

Suddenly, a mechanical sound echoed in the room, and the lights began to brighten. They successfully activated the mechanism in the correct order, and the device Zhao Ying was bound to detached.

The door slowly opened.

The two walked out side by side and noticed a small box outside containing an invitation card.

It read:

Dear friends,

Hello!

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. I am pleased to invite you to a special gathering, which promises to be an unforgettable event. We will be hosting it in the banquet hall on the first floor. Please bring your curiosity and enthusiasm, ready to embrace an evening filled with mystery and challenges.

Mr. Feng

Holding the invitation, Qi Dong and Zhao Ying descended the stairs, where they found Liu Shuyao and Xiang Ran waiting for them at the entrance.

They seemed to be chatting, with Liu Shuyao showing Xiang Ran something on her wrist, her face radiating a new, playful expression.

Zhao Ying, excited, asked, "What puzzle did you have? You both came out so quickly."

"It was a Van Gogh painting, and I happened to be familiar with it, so I solved it quickly."

Though the surroundings were still dim, the growing crowd made it less intimidating.

Zhao Ying nodded but seemed to recall something, turning to Qi Dong. "Wait, didn’t we miss something when we came down?"

"What do you mean?" Qi Dong replied, unsure of what they might have skipped.

"When they came out, didn’t we hear that creaking sound from the speaker?"

"That was just a prompt to show them where to go!"

"Why didn’t we get that? Could there be another task we missed?"

Zhao Ying felt puzzled, while the other two exchanged awkward glances.

It wasn’t that they had tasks left undone; it was just that they had been warned for hugging in the hallway. If the lighting weren’t so dim, Liu Shuyao’s flushed cheeks would have been visible. She deliberately tugged on Xiang Ran's fingers, as if silently protesting!

Xiang Ran felt wronged; he hadn’t initiated anything. But now, he dared not say a word—when your girlfriend says you're wrong, do you dare deny it?

"That must have been a hint. We didn't notice any other tasks when we came down," Xiang Ran explained, unfazed.

As they chatted, Wang Hao and Xiao Qiao approached, hand in hand, looking equally steady.

With three groups gathered, only the fatty was missing.

They were unsure of the fatty’s situation and waited a little longer.

Then, they saw the fatty panting heavily, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. Wiping his brow, he focused intently on recounting his escape room experience.

His voice trembled, eyes filled with deep fear, as if recalling a truly terrifying moment.

"You won’t believe what I just went through! That escape room was a death trap; I nearly lost my life!"

He rubbed his arms, as if still feeling the tension of the situation.

Seeing him like this, Liu Shuyao swallowed hard, caught between fear and curiosity, sneaking behind Xiang Ran, clutching his hand for reassurance.

The rest of the group gathered around, intrigued by his story; after all, their own experience had only felt eerie, lacking any truly frightening elements.

Xiang Ran’s was visually stimulating in comparison!

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